Opponents of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro rallied in the streets Wednesday and he convened a crisis security meeting as the leftist leader resisted their efforts to drive him from power. Thousands of opposition supporters began to gather at seven points around Caracas in the morning and said they planned to march and join up in the east of the capital. It is a key test of strength in a mounting political and economic crisis that is destabilizing the South American oil producer.
The socialist president and center-right-dominated opposition accuse each other of mounting a "coup" in a volatile country rich in oil but short of food. The opposition is furious at the authorities' decision last week to halt their bid for a referendum on removing Maduro from power. "Today we Venezuelans are mobilizing in defense of our constitutional rights and against the coup," leading opposition figure Henrique Capriles said on Twitter. Maduro for his part called a meeting on Wednesday of his National Defense Council. It includes top officials including the defense and security ministers.
The crisis prompted Pope Francis to intervene on Monday, granting a private audience to Maduro. The president said he had launched a "national dialogue" to settle the crisis, with the Vatican's backing. Leaders in the broad opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), denied they had reached any agreement with the government on the terms of any talks.
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